Chapter 29, Alaska

Loss of sea ice, thawing permafrost, and other climate-driven changes in Alaska are transforming ecosystems, disrupting cultural practices, harming fisheries and other livelihoods, exacerbating health disparities, and placing infrastructure at risk. Rapid climate changes also threaten national security. Adaptation efforts are underway across the state, but their effectiveness will depend on substantial investment and capacity building in the communities most at risk.

- From Chapter 29

This page is in draft form and is currently being reviewed by project partners. For more information about the creation and review process, please see the landing page for the NCA5 Educator's Guide.

Jump to:

  1. Information on using this guide
  2. Educational resources and guiding questions for this region
  3. CLEAN curated pathways to action for the region
  4. NCA5 non-regional chapter connections

Key Messages for Alaska:

National Climate Assessment Art X Climate selections

Artist's statement: The Great Lakes region is considered a future refuge area against the extreme heat to come. However, there is much uncertainty about the future of our weather. Climate change may bring more intense lake effect snow and ice storms, even as snow and ice cover decrease overall. Our homes, ecosystems, and economies are at risk and we need to be more prepared. Water levels are already sweeping away houses, mangling infrastructure, and disrupting Indigenous traditions. This piece reflects my fear and uncertainty around climate change in the Great Lakes region.


Artist's statement: My cold wax painting focuses on catastrophic ecosystem change in my home state, Alaska. “Methane Blues” shows melting ice wedges in permafrost under the tundra, weakening land and flora above ground. Collapsing earth creates methane-releasing thermokarst lakes across Alaska. Methane gas occurs when microbes digest decayed plants and animal remains. Their waste product, methane, is a 25-80x more potent greenhouse gas than CO2.


Educational resources and guiding questions aligned with the regional Key Messages:

Each Key Message features three guiding questions to help educators navigate these topics with students. Each guiding question includes example lessons and supporting videos. The lessons were taken from the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) educational resources database. The videos were selected from reputable sources to support the lessons.

Key Message One: Our Health and Healthcare Are at Risk

Health disparities in Alaska, including access to healthcare and health outcomes, are exacerbated by climate change. The well-being of Alaska residents will be further challenged by climate-driven threats and by emerging diseases. Improving health surveillance and healthcare access statewide can increase resilience to events that threaten public health. Find out more about this key messagehere.

Guiding question one: How are Alaska Native Peoples connected to the land and how do they depend on natural resources for their well-being?

Guiding question two: How does the geographic location of many Alaskan residents impact the health risks they experience from climate change?

Guiding question three: How are the impacts to health and healthcare caused by climate change in Alaska similar to and different from impacts in the continental United States?

Key Message Two: Our Communities Are Navigating Compounding Stressors

Climate change amplifies the social and economic challenges facing Alaska communities. Resource shifts, coastal and riverbank erosion, and disproportionate access to services will continue to threaten the physical and social integrity of these communities. Increased adaptation capacity and equitable support have the potential to help rural and urban communities address Alaska's regionally varied climate-driven threats. Find out more about this key message here.

Guiding question one: What factors make rural communities in Alaska at risk for supply chain disruptions?

Guiding question two: Why do communities in Alaska often face multiple compounding stressors that impact human health and local ecosystems?

Guiding question three: What challenges and benefits will the food system in Alaska likely experience due to climate change?

Key Message Three: Our Livelihoods Are Vulnerable Without Diversification

Livelihoods, especially those dependent on natural resources, are at risk around Alaska. While advancing climate change has contributed to the collapse of major fisheries and is undermining many existing jobs and ways of life, it may also create some opportunities related to adaptation and response. Economic diversification, especially expansion of value-added industries, can help increase overall livelihood options. Find out more about this key message here.

Guiding question one: How do restrictions on fisheries impact the economy, local communities, and subsistence fishermen?

Guiding question two: Which groups and communities are likely to experience the greatest socioeconomic consequences of climate change in Alaska and how does diversification help them respond to those impacts?

Guiding question three: How are salmon and culture connected in Alaska and how could the decline of salmon populations in Alaska impact both physical and mental health?

Key Message Four: Our Built Environment Will Become More Costly

Much of Alaska's infrastructure was built for a stable climate, and changes in permafrost, ocean conditions, sea ice, air temperature, and precipitation patterns place that infrastructure at risk. Further warming is expected to lead to greater needs and costs for maintenance or replacement of buildings, roads, airports, and other facilities. Planning for further change and greater attention to climate trends and changes in extremes can help improve infrastructure resilience around Alaska. Find out more about this key message here.

Guiding question one: Why is estimating the cost of infrastructure particularly difficult in Alaska and what factors contribute to a high cost for repairs?

Guiding question two: Why is infrastructure in Alaska particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change?

Guiding question three: How could the loss of permafrost threaten Alaskan communities and industries?

Key Message Five: Our Natural Environment Is Transforming Rapidly

Alaska's ecosystems are changing rapidly due to climate change. Many of the ecosystem goods and services that Alaskans rely on are expected to be diminished by further change. Careful management of Alaska's natural resources to avoid additional stresses on fish, wildlife, and habitats can help avoid compounding effects on our ecosystems. Find out more about this key message here.

Guiding question one: What ecosystem types are present in Alaska and how are livelihoods connected to these ecosystems?

Guiding question two: How will the impacts of ocean acidification directly and indirectly impact fish species?

Guiding question three: How is climate change shifting the ranges of different species both positively and negatively in Alaska?

Key Message Six: Our Security Faces Greater Risks

Rapid climate-driven change in Alaska undermines many of the assumptions of predictability on which community, state, and national security are based. Further change, especially in the marine environment with loss of sea ice, will create new vulnerabilities and requirements for security from multiple perspectives and at multiple scales. Greater capacity for identifying and responding to threats has the potential to help reduce security risks in the Alaska region. Find out more about this key message here.


Guiding question one: How can changes in climate and weather patterns in Alaska impact state and national security?

Guiding question two: How are energy demand and security connected in Alaska?

Guiding question three: What does security mean for different communities and how is it related to the concepts of resilience, well-being, sovereignty, and safety?

Key Message Seven: Our Just and Prosperous Future Starts with Adaptation

Local and regional efforts are underway around Alaska to prepare for and adapt to a changing climate. The breadth of adaptation needed around the state will require substantial investment of financial resources and close coordination among agencies, including Tribal governments. The effectiveness of adaptation planning and activities can be strengthened by addressing intersecting non-climate stressors, prioritizing the needs of the communities and populations experiencing the greatest impacts, building local capacity, and connecting adaptation efforts to economic and workforce development. Find out more about this key message here

Guiding question one: Who should be involved in creating adaptation plans for Alaska? Why should those people and communities be involved?

Guiding question two: How are traditional values being integrated into modern adaptation strategies in Alaska?

Guiding question three: What systematic barriers can make it more difficult for Alaska Native communities to adapt to climate change?

Pathways to action for Alaska*

*These selections were curated by CLEAN

The following actions and case studies highlight ideas for climate change adaptation and mitigation at multiple scales and are meant to support and inspire students and educators to take steps that address the challenges outlined in this chapter.

Action 1: Improved Fisheries

Action 2: Coastal Wetland Protection

Action 3:  Empowering Indigenous knowledge and voices to create more resilient communities

Action 4: Take proactive actions for at-risk communities

Looking for more ideas for climate change actions? Explore the National Climate Assessment chapters on adaptation (chapter 31) and mitigation (chapter 32).

National Climate Assessment Alaska Chapter Connections:

The national climate assessment includes multiple chapters on climate change-specific topics. The chapters and key messages offer ways to further engage with the NCA and find out more information related to the region.